Types of fish and coral in the aquarium

Colt soft coral / Contributed photo

Naso Hawaii tang / Contributed photo

Melanie Zebro holds her 18-month-old daughter Lily and 4-year-old son Noah, all of Wausau, as they look at fish and coral Wednesday during the unveiling of a saltwater aquarium at the Marathon County Public Library in Wausau. / T'xer Zhon Kha/Daily Herald Media

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The pristine glass that separates 650 gallons of saltwater from the outside world likely soon will be smudged with the imprints of children’s noses and fingers.

The Marathon County Public Library unveiled the saltwater tank, filled with several species of tropical fish and coral, in front of about 70 people this afternoon after about nine months of planning. Thursday is its first full day open to the public.

Diane Lotter of Kronenwetter took her son Colton, 9, out of school early today to attend the grand opening as an early birthday present; he turns 10 on Friday. Colton wants to be a marine biologist and eagerly pointed out the blue tang, which looks like Dory from “Finding Nemo.”

“I like being able to look at all the kinds of fish,” he said. “I’ve never really been able to see something like this before.”

The library got the aquarium out of talks with the Animal Planet network, which considered featuring the library on its show “Tanked,” which follows Las Vegas-based aquarium company Acrylic Tank Manufacturing, or ATM, as workers build odd tanks in unlikely places across the country.

The network told the library in June that it wouldn’t be featured on the television show, and the aquarium, which is in the children’s section, instead was built with donated money as an educational and fun feature to add to the facility, Library Assistant Amy Ryan said.

The $35,000 tank was paid for with a $76,000 donation from the estate of Phyllis Donner, a Wausau resident who died in 2011. ATM, which provided the tank, also donated the livestock that inhabit it. Crystal Finishing Systems of Schofield donated the frame and the cover for the tank frame.

Mark Mattiae, owner of Crystal Finishing Systems, said he didn’t have to think about donating to the project and is pleased with the way the tank turned out.

“It’s a great community project,” he said. “It’s something that should keep on giving for years and years.”

Annual tank maintenance, estimated at $6,000 and provided by Tankmates of Wausau, will be paid for by the Friends of the Marathon County Public Library and the Marathon County Public Library Foundation. Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co. of Wausau donated transportation of the tank and frame from Las Vegas to Wausau.

— Greater Wausau is coverage that celebrates the good things about life in the greater Wausau area and addresses community challenges. If you have a story idea, email Editor Mark Treinen at mtreinen@wdhprint.com or call 715-845-0655.